What is hpaPaaS?

What is hpaPaaS and how could it help you?

From the invention of the PC (and even before), it seems computer professionals have been hell-bent on building a lexicon of impenetrable acronyms and jargon. But, despite attempts to bamboozle us, some terms have been incorporated into our everyday speech: WIFI, DVD, GIF to name a few.

If you still struggle to navigate your way around Gigabits (Gb) and Gigabytes (GB), Gartner’s latest offering – hpaPaaS might well have you stumped. Not to worry, we’re here to answer the question on everyone’s lips – “what is hpaPaaS?” and, more importantly, explain how it can help you…

In the beginning, there was business process – which gave rise to the BPM (business process management) platform. But, there was a problem. BPM systems didn’t fix every issue. What’s more, they took ages to set up and even longer to generate solutions. And, of course, many projects failed to deliver a return on investment because BPM platforms were simply too expensive. Something had to change. They needed to get smarter.

Well, a bunch of vendors started extending their BPM platforms and developing similar capabilities. Which was handy and, because they were less dumb than BPM platforms, they earned an “i”; for “intelligence” and analysts at Gartner invented the iBPMS platform. Problem was, despite the “i”, they were still shockingly expensive and required really skilled technical resources to produce any workable solutions.

In the meantime, the race to mobility (there’s an app for that…), had given rise to a new generation of drag ‘n’ drop application configurators – more commonly known as Mobile Application Development Platforms (MADP). Unfortunately, whilst these were great for forms or data display they didn’t really cut the mustard when it came to creating a seamless digital journey for customers… They lacked the “back-end” process and logic that the BPM solutions offered.

Well, Forrester Research had been busy analysing the market and noticed that applications from no less than 5 different categories (including MADP and BPM) had the same bright idea… “What if, you could build an application – from scratch – with process automation, business logic, rules, case management, reporting, communications, integration, security and all the interfaces you needed – without coding?” and, low and behold, Low-code was born!

Queue the “as a service” revolution. “Software as a Service” completely disrupted the way enterprises bought software by charging a simple monthly subscription. The attraction was simple, no upfront seven-figure-price-tag, regular updates and, crucially, hosting and support included. It was so successful that “SaaS” soon gave rise to “IaaS” (Infrastructure as a Service) with “Platform as a Service” (PaaS) hot on its heels. And all made possible because of the “Cloud”…

With a natural reluctance to use Forrester terminology, analysts at Gartner developed not one, but two acronyms to describe platforms which enabled application development – high control (good for techies) and high-productivity (good for business) which is how we got to hcaPaaS and hpaPaaS.

Not to be outdone, Forrester countered with Low-code Platforms for Professional Developers and Low-code Platforms for Business Developers

What this all means is hpaPaaS and Low-code are (pretty much) one and the same thing. And, if you’re looking for faster, more cost-effective ways to build your own digital solutions, you’ll need to have both flavours on your shopping list.

So, how could hpaPaaS help you?

Hear the latest podcast – What is hpaPaaS? And, how does it help CX here.

Put simply, any business that wants to go beyond “digitization” to true digital transformation requires software which solves the problems of integration, workarounds and change. Off-the-shelf solutions fall far short of the mark. hpaPaaS / Low-code platforms enable you to build the solutions you need faster and iteratively. This helps you improve customer journeys, restore governance and accelerate operational efficiencies.

To hear more on how hpaPaaS can set you on a faster route to better customer experience, check out the latest Netcall and MATS podcast – “What is hpaPaaS? And, how does it help CX”. Netcall CTO Richard Farrell and MatsSoft CTO Richard Billington ask the all important questions and share their answers with marketing expert Louise Wright.